1 Chronicles 16:8-35

Psalm of Thanksgiving

8  Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

9  Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

10  Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

11  Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

12  Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,

13  O seed of Israel His servant,

Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!

14  He is the Lord our God;

His judgments are in all the earth.

15  Remember His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,

16  The covenant which He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac.

17  He also confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

18  Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,

As the portion of your inheritance.”

19  When they were only a few in number,

Very few, and strangers in it,

20  And they wandered about from nation to nation,

And from one kingdom to another people,

21  He permitted no man to oppress them,

And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying,

22  “Do not touch My anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.”

23  Sing to the Lord, all the earth;

Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

24  Tell of His glory among the nations,

His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

25  For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

He also is to be feared above all gods.

26  For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

But the Lord made the heavens.

27  Splendor and majesty are before Him,

Strength and joy are in His place.

28  Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

29  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;

Bring an offering, and come before Him;

Worship the Lord in holy array.

30  Tremble before Him, all the earth;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

31  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”

32  Let the sea roar, and all it contains;

Let the field exult, and all that is in it.

33  Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord;

For He is coming to judge the earth.

34  O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

35  Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation,

And gather us and deliver us from the nations,

To give thanks to Your holy name,

And glory in Your praise.”

Introduction:

This passage focuses on the aspect of worship. Many complain about an absence of worship, but unfortunately we often are not clear on what worship really is. This passage is very instructive on the subject.

I.       The Nature of Worship (vv. 28–30)

28  Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

29  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;

Bring an offering, and come before Him;

Worship the Lord in holy array.

30  Tremble before Him, all the earth;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

A.   Inadequate definitions:

1.     Subjective feelings or experiences

2.     Outward performances

3.     Reverence

B.   Dictionary definition: declaring God’s worth or expressing His praise

C.   Biblical definition:

1.     Comes from word that is translated both “worship” and “bow down” or “make obeisance”

a)    Outward bowing down that reflects inward bowing

b)    Inward bowing as a result of recognizing greatness of God, smallness of man, and difference between

D.   Summary: Worship is an attitude that recognizes the greatness of God and inwardly bows down as a result

II.    The Manner of Worship (vv. 8–12)

8  Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

9  Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

10  Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

11  Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

12  Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,

III.  There are many ways of doing this that include:

A.   Express gratitude to Him (v. 8a)

8  Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

B.   Pray to Him (v. 8b)

Call upon His name;

C.   Testify to what He has done for you (v. 8c)

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

D.   Sing to Him and about Him (v. 9a)

9  Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

E.   Talk of His wondrous works (v. 9b)

Speak of all His wonders.

F.    Exalt Him (glory in His name) (v. 10a)

10  Glory in His holy name;

G.  Rejoice in Him (v. 10b)

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

H.   Call on Him in every time of need (v. 11)

11  Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

I.        Constantly remind yourself of what He has done, especially in your personal life (v. 12)

12  Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,

IV.The Object of Worship (vv. 14–22)

A.   He is God (v. 14a)

14  He is the Lord our God;

1.     He is a living God

2.     He is a powerful God (created the heavens and earth)

3.     He is a personal God

4.     He is an active God

B.   His judgments are being worked out in the earth (v. 14b)

His judgments are in all the earth.

C.   He keeps His commitments (vv. 15–20)

15  Remember His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,

16  The covenant which He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac.

17  He also confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

18  Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,

As the portion of your inheritance.”

19  When they were only a few in number,

Very few, and strangers in it,

20  And they wandered about from nation to nation,

And from one kingdom to another people,

D.   He protects His people (vv. 21–22)

21  He permitted no man to oppress them,

And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying,

22  “Do not touch My anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.”

V.   The Impact of Worship (vv. 23–27)

23  Sing to the Lord, all the earth;

Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

24  Tell of His glory among the nations,

His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

25  For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

He also is to be feared above all gods.

26  For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

But the Lord made the heavens.

27  Splendor and majesty are before Him,

Strength and joy are in His place.

A.   Since worship is an internal attitude, we expect it to show in certain attitudes and actions based on it

B.   These would include:

1.     Praising the Lord

2.     Rejoicing in the Lord

3.     Submission to the Lord

4.     Obedience to the Lord’s Word

5.     Reverence of the Lord’s person

6.     Witnessing for Him—best way to share His greatness with others

7.     Praying to Him

C.   They show an important side of worship

1.     Should occur as part of service

2.     Can’t be limited to a service

3.     Actually becomes a total way of life

Conclusion:

Worship surely missing in modern Christianity. Biblical worship actually permeates all of life. Biblical worship is an attitude that would change the way we think and also the way we live. How much do you worship?

1 Chron. 16:8–36. This hymn forms a connected and uniform whole.

Beginning with a summons to praise the Lord, and to seek His face (vv. 8–11),

the singer exhorts his people to remember the wondrous works of the Lord (vv. 12–14), and the covenant which He made with the patriarchs to give them the land of Canaan (vv. 15–18),

and confirms his exhortation by pointing out how the Lord, in fulfilment of His promise, had mightily and gloriously defended the patriarchs (vv. 19–22).

But all the world also are to praise Him as the only true and almighty God (vv. 23–27), and all peoples do homage to Him with sacrificial gifts (vv. 28–30); and that His kingdom may be acknowledged among the heathen,

even inanimate nature will rejoice at His coming to judgment (vv. 31–33).

In conclusion, we have again the summons to thankfulness, combined with a prayer that God would further vouchsafe salvation; and a doxology rounds off the whole (vv. 34–36).

When we consider the contents of the whole hymn, it is manifest that it contains nothing which would be at all inconsistent with the belief that it was composed by David for the above-mentioned religious service.

There is nowhere any reference to the condition of the people in exile, nor yet to the circumstances after the exile. The subject of the praise to which Israel is summoned is the covenant which God made with Abraham, and the wonderful way in which the patriarchs were led.

The summons to the heathen to acknowledge Jahve as alone God and King of the world, and to come before His presence with sacrificial offerings, together with the thought that Jahve will come to judge the earth, belong to the Messianic hopes. These had formed themselves upon the foundation of the promises given to the patriarchs, and the view they had of Jahve as Judge of the heathen, when He led His people out of Egypt,so early, that even in the song of Moses at the Red Sea (Ex. 15), and the song of the pious Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1–10), we meet with the first germs of them; and what we find in David and the prophets after him are only further development of these.

Yet all the later commentators, with the exception of Hitzig, die Psalmen, ii. S. ix.f., judge otherwise as to the origin of this festal hymn.

Because the first half of it (vv. 8–22) recurs in Ps. 105:1–15,

the second (vv. 23–33) in Ps. 96,

and the conclusion (vv. 34–36) in Ps. 106:1, 47, 48,

it is concluded that the author of the Chronicle compounded the hymn from these three psalms, in order to reproduce the festive songs which were heard after the ark had been brought in, in the same free way in which the speeches in Thucydides and Livy reproduce what was spoken at various times. Besides the later commentators, Aug. Koehler (in the Luth. Ztschr. 1867, S. 289ff.) and C. Ehrt (Abfassungszeit und Abschluss des Psalters, Leipz. 1869, S. 41ff.) are of the same opinion. The possibility that our hymn may have arisen in this way cannot be denied; for such a supposition would be in so far consistent with the character of the Chronicle, as we find in it speeches which have not been reported verbatim by the hearers, but are given in substance or in freer outline by the author of our Chronicle, or, as is more probable, by the author of the original documents made use of by the chronicler. But this view can only be shown to be correct if it corresponds to the relation in which our hymn may be ascertained to stand to the three psalms just mentioned. Besides the face that its different sections are again met with scattered about in different psalms, the grounds for supposing that our hymn is not an original poem are mainly the want of connection in the transition from v. 22 to v.23, and from v. 33 to v.34; the fact that in v.35 we have a verse referring to the Babylonian exile borrowed from Ps. 106; and that v. 36 is even the doxology of the fourth book of Psalms, taken to be a component part of the psalm. These two latter grounds would be decisive, if the facts on which they rest were well authenticated. If. v. 36 really contained only the doxology of the fourth book of Psalms—which, like the doxologies of the first, second, and third books (Ps. 41:14; 72:18, 19, and 89:53), was merely formally connected with the psalm, without being a component part of it,—there could be no doubt that the author of the Chronicle had taken the conclusion of his hymn from our collection of psalms, as these doxologies only date from the originators of our collection. But this is not the state of the case. The 48th verse of the 106th Psalm does, it is true, occupy in our Psalter the place of the doxology to the fourth book, but belonged, as Bertheau also acknowledges, originally to the psalm itself. For not only is it different in form from the doxologies of the first three books, not having the double אָמֵן וְאָמֵן with which these books close, but it concludes with the simple אָמֵן הַלְלוּ־יָהּ. If the אָמֵן וְאָמֵן connected by ו is, in the Old Testament language, exclusively confined to these doxologies, which thus approach the language of the liturgical Beracha of the second temple, as Del. Ps. p. 15 rightly remarks, while in Num. 5:22 and Neh. 8:6 only אָמֵן אָמֵן without copulative ו occurs, it is just this peculiarity of the liturgical Beracha which is wanting, both in the concluding verse of the 106th Psalm and in v. 36 of our festal hymn. Moreover, the remainder of the verse in question,—the last clause of it, “And let all the people say Amen, Halleluiah,”—does not suit the hypothesis that the verse is the doxology appended to the conclusion of the fourth book by the collector of the Psalms, since, as Hengstenberg in his commentary on the psalm rightly remarks, “it is inconceivable that the people should join in that which, as mere closing doxology of a book, would have no religious character;” and “the praise in the conclusion of the psalm beautifully coincides with its commencement, and the Halleluiah of the end is shown to be an original part of the psalm by its correspondence with the beginning.”‍‍ The last verse of our hymn does not therefore presuppose the existence of the collection of psalms, nor in v. 35 is there any indubitable reference to the exilic time. The words, “Say, ‘Save us, Thou God of our salvation; gather us together, and deliver us from among the heathen,’ ” do not presuppose that the people had been previously led away into the Chaldean exile, but only the dispersion of prisoners of war, led away captive into an enemy’s land after a defeat. This usually occurred after each defeat of Israel by their enemies, and it was just such cases Solomon had in view in his prayer, 1 Kings 8:46–50.

The decision as to the origin of this festal hymn, therefore, depends upon its internal characteristics, and the result of a comparison of the respective texts. The song in itself forms, as Hitz. l.c. S. 19 rightly judges, “a thoroughly coherent and organic whole. The worshippers of Jahve are to sing His praise in memory of His covenant which He made with their fathers, and because of which He protected them (vv. 18–22). But all the world also are to praise Him, the only true God (vv. 23–27); the peoples are to come before Him with gifts; yea, even inanimate nature is to pay the King and Judge its homage (vv. 28–33). Israel—and with this the end returns to the beginning—is to thank Jahve, and invoke His help against the heathen (vv. 34 and 35).” This exposition of the symmetrical disposition of the psalm is not rendered questionable by the objections raised by Koehler, l.c.; nor can the recurrence of the individual parts of it in three different psalms of itself at all prove that in the Chronicle we have not the original form of the hymn. “There is nothing to hinder us from supposing that the author of Ps. 96 may be the same as the author of Ps. 105 and 106; but even another might be induced by example to appropriate the first half of 1 Chron. 16:8ff., as his predecessor had appropriated the second, and it would naturally occur to him to supply from his own resources the continuation which had been already taken away and made use of” (Hitz. l.c.). A similar phenomenon is the recurrence of the second half of Ps. 40:17ff. as an independent psalm, Ps. 70. “But it is also readily seen,“continues Hitzig, “how easily the psalmist might separate the last three verses from each other (vv. 34 to 36 of the Chronicle), and set them as a frame round Ps. 106. V. 34 is not less suitable in the Chronicle for the commencement of a paragraph than in Ps. 107, which v. 6 would admit of no continuation, but was the proper end. On the other hand, we can scarcely believe that the chronicler compiled his song first from Ps. 105, then from Ps. 96, and lastly from Ps. 106, striking off from this latter only the beginning and the end.”

Finally, if we compare the text of our hymn with the text of these psalms, the divergences are of such a sort that we cannot decide with certainty which of the two texts is the original. To pass over such critically indifferent variations as פִּיהוּ, Chron. v. 12, for פִּיו, Ps. 105:5; the omission of the nota acc. אֵת, Chron. v. 18, compared with Ps. 105:10, and vice versa in Ps. 96:3 and Chron. v. 24; עֲצֵי הַיַּעַר, Chron. v. 33, instead of כָּל־עֲצֵי הַיַּעַר, Ps. 96:12, —the chronicler has in יִצְחָק, v. 16, instead of יִשְׂחָק, Ps. 105:9, and יַעֲלֹץ, v. 32, instead of יַעֲלֹז, Ps. 96:12, the earlier and more primitive form; in בִּנְבִיאַי אַל תָּרֵעוּ, v. 22, instead of לִנְבִיאַי אַל תָּרֵעוּ, Ps. 105:15, a quite unusual construction; and in מִיֹּום אֶל יֹום, v. 23, the older form (cf. Num. 30:15), instead of מִיֹּום לְיֹום, Ps. 96:2, as in Esth. 3:7; while, on the other hand, instead of the unexampled phrase הִנִּיחַ אָדָם לְעָשְׁקָם, Ps. 105:14, there stands in the Chronicle the usual phrase הִנִּיחַ לְאִישׁ, and שָׂדַי in Ps. 96:12 is the poetical form for the הַשַּׂדֶה of Chron. v. 32. More important are the wider divergences: not so much זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, Chron. v. 13, for זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם, Ps. 105:6, in which latter case it is doubtful whether the עַבְדֹּו refers to the patriarchs or to the people, and consequently, as the parallelismus membrorum demands the latter references, ישׂראל is clearly the more correct and intelligible; but rather than the others, viz., זִכְרוּ, Chron. v. 15, for זָכָר, Ps. 105:8; since זִכְרוּ not only corresponds to the זִכְרוּ of v. 11, but alto to the use made of the song for the purposes stated in the Chronicle; while, on the contrary, זָכַר of the psalm corresponds to the object of the psalm, viz., to exalt the covenant grace shown to the patriarchs. Connected with this also is the reading בִּהְיֹותְכֶם, “when ye (sons of Jacob) were” (v. 19), instead of בִּהְיֹותָם, Ps. 105:12, “when they (the patriarchs) were,” since the narrative of what the Lord had done demanded בהיותם. Now the more likely the reference of the words to the patriarchs was to suggest itself, the more unlikely is the hypothesis of an alteration into בִהְיֹותְכֶם; and the text of the Chronicle being the more difficult, is consequently to be regarded as the earlier. Moreover, the divergences of vv. 23 to 33 of our hymn from Ps. 96 are such as would result from its having been prepared for the above-mentioned solemn festival. The omission of the two strophes, “Sing unto Jahve a new song, sing unto Jahve, bless His name” (Ps. 96:1a and 2a), in v. 23 of the Chronicle might be accounted for by regarding that part of our hymn as an abridgment by the chronicler of the original song, when connecting it with the preceding praise of God, were it certain on other grounds that Ps. 96 was the original; but if the chronicler’s hymn be the original, we may just as well believe that this section was amplified when it was made into an independent psalm. A comparison of v. 33 (Chron.) with the end of the 96th Psalm favours this last hypothesis, for in the Chronicle the repetition of כִּי בָא is wanting, as well as the second hemistich of Ps. 96:13. The whole of the 13th verse recurs, with a single כִּי בָא, at the end of the 98th Psalm (v. 9), and the thought is borrowed from the Davidic Psalm 9:9. The strophes in the beginning of Ps. 96, which are omitted from Chron. v.16, often recur. The phrase, “Sing unto Jahve a new song,” is met within Ps. 33:3; 98:1, and 149:1, and שִׁיר חָדָשׁ in Ps. 40:4, a Davidic psalm. בָּרְכוּ אֶת־שְׁמֹו is also met with in Ps. 100:4; and still more frequently בָּרְכוּ אֶת־יהוה, in Ps. 103:02, 22; 134:1, and elsewhere, even as early as Deborah’s song, Judg. 5:2, 9; while שִׁירוּ ליהוה occurs in the song of Moses, Ex. 15:1. Since, then, the strophes of the 96th Psalm are only reminiscences of, and phrases which we find in, the oldest religious songs of the Israelites, it is clear that Ps. 96 is not an original poem. It is rather the re-grouping of the well-known and current thoughts; and the fact that it is so, favours the belief that all which this psalm contains at the beginning and end, which the Chronicle does not contain, is merely an addition made by the poet who transformed this part of the chronicler’s hymn into an independent psalm for liturgical purposes. This purpose clearly appears in such variations as וְתִפְאֶרֶת בְּמִקְדָּשֹׁו, Ps. 96:6, instead of וְחֶדְוָה בִּמְקֹמֹו, Chron. v. 27, and וּבֹאוּ לְחַצְרֹותָיו, Ps. 96:8, instead of וּבֹאוּ לְפָנָיו, Chron. v. 29. Neither the word מִקְדָּשׁ nor the mention of “courts” is suitable in a hymn sung at the consecration of the holy tent in Zion, for at that time the old national sanctuary with the altar in the court (the tabernacle) still stood in Gibeon.

Here, therefore, the text of the Chronicle corresponds to the circumstances of David’s time, while the mention of מִקְדָּשׁ and of courts in the psalm presupposes the existence of the temple with its courts as the sanctuary of the people of Israel. Now a post-exilic poet would scarcely have paid so much attention to this delicate distinction between times and circumstances as to alter, in the already existing psalms, out of which he compounded this festal hymn, the expressions which were not suitable to the Davidic time. Against this, the use of the unusual word חֶדְוָה, joy, which occurs elsewhere only in Neh. 10:8, 10, and in Chaldee in Ezra 6:18, is no valid objection, for the use of the verb חָדָה as early as Ex. 18:9 and Job 3:6 shows that the word does not belong to the later Hebrew. The discrepancy also between vv. 30 and 31 and Ps. 96:9–11, namely, the omission in the Chronicle of the strophe יָדִין עַמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים (Ps. v. 10), and the placing of the clause וְיֹאמְרוּ בַגֹּויִם יהוה מָלַךְ after וְתָגֵל הָאָרֶץ (Chron. v. 31, cf. Ps. 96:10), does not really prove anything as to the priority of Ps. 96. Hitzig, indeed, thinks that since by the omission of the one member the parallelism of the verses is disturbed, and a triple verse appears where all the others are double merely, and because by this alteration the clause, “Say among the people, Jahve is King,” has come into an apparently unsuitable position, between an exhortation to the heaven and earth to rejoice, and the roaring of the sea and its fulness, this clause must have been unsuitably placed by a copyist’s error. But the transposition cannot be so explained; for not only is that one member of the verse misplaced, but also the אִמְרוּ of the psalm is altered into וְיֹאמְרוּ, and moreover, we get no explanation of the omission of the strophe יָדִין וגו׳. If we consider וְיֹאמְרוּ (with ו consecutive), “then will they say,” we see clearly that it corresponds to אָז יְרַנְּנוּ וגו׳ in v. 33; and in v. 30 the recognition of Jahve’s kingship over the peoples is represented as the issue and effect of the joyful exultation of the heaven and earth, just as in vv. 32 and 33 the joyful shouting of the trees of the field before Jahve as He comes to judge the earth, is regarded as the result of the roaring of the sea and the gladness of the fields. The אִמְרוּ of the psalm, on the other hand, the summons to the Israelites to proclaim that Jahve is King among the peoples, is, after the call, “Let the whole earth tremble before Him,” a somewhat tame expression; and after it, again, we should not expect the much stronger אַף תִּכֹּון וגו׳. When we further consider that the clause which follows in the Chronicle, “He will judge the people in uprightness,” is a reminiscence of Ps. 9:9, we must hold the text of the Chronicle to be here also the original, and the divergences in Ps. 96 for alterations, which were occasioned by the changing of a part of our hymn into an independent psalm. Finally, there can be no doubt as to the priority of the chronicler’s hymn in vv. 34–36. The author of the Chronicle did not require to borrow the liturgical formula הֹודוּ לַיהוה כִּי טֹוב וגו׳ from Ps. 106:1, for it occurs in as complete a form in Ps. 97:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1, and, not to mention 2 Chron. 5:13; 7:3; 20:21, is a current phrase with Jeremiah (Jer. 33:11), and is without doubt an ancient liturgical form. Vv. 35 and 36, too, contain such divergences from Ps. 106:47 and 48, that it is in the highest degree improbable that they were borrowed from that psalm. Not only is the prayer הֹושִׁיעֵנוּ וגו׳ introduced by אִמְרוּ, but also, instead of יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ of the psalm, we have אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעֵנוּ; and to וְקַבְּצֵנוּ, וְהַצִּילֵנוּ is added,—a change which causes the words to lose the reference to the Chaldean exile contained in the text of the Psalms. The post-exilic author of the Chronicle would scarcely have obliterated this reference, and certainly would not have done so in such a delicate fashion, had he taken the verse from Ps. 106. A much more probable supposition is, that the post-exilic author of the 106th Psalm appropriated the concluding verse of David’s to him well-known hymn, and modified it to make it fit into his poem. Indubitable instances of such alterations are to be found in the conclusion, where the statement of the chronicler, that all the people said Amen and praised Jahve, is made to conform to the psalm, beginning as it does with Halleluiah, by altering וַיֹּאמְרוּ into וְאָמַר, “and let them say,” and of וְהַלֵּל ליהוה into הַלְלוּ־יָהּ.

On the whole, therefore, we must regard the opinion that David composed our psalm for the above-mentioned festival as by far the most probable. The psalm itself needs no further commentary; but compare Delitzsch on the parallel psalms and parts of psalms.

1 Chron. 16:37–43. Division of the Levites for the management of the public worship.—At the same time as he set up the ark in the tent erected for it on Mount Zion, David had prepared a new locality for the public worship. The Mosaic tabernacle had continued, with its altar of burnt-offering, to be the general place of worship for the congregation of Israel even during the long period when the ark was separated from it, and it was even yet to be so; and it became necessary, in order to carry on the religious service in both of these sanctuaries, to divide the staff of religious officials: and this David now undertook.

1 Chron. 16:37. Before the ark he left Asaph with his brethren (לְ before the accus. obj., according to the later usage), to serve, to minister there continually. לִדְבַר־יֹום בְּיֹומֹו, “according to the matter of the day on its day,” i.e., according to the service necessary for each day; cf. for this expression, Ex. 5:13, 19; 16:4, etc. “And Obed-edom and their brethren.” In these words there is a textual error: the plural suffix in אֲחֵיהֶם shows that after עֹבֵד אֱדֹום at least one name has been dropped out. But besides that, the relation in which the words, “and Obed-edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be porters,” stand to the preceding clause, “and Obed-edom and their brethren,” is obscure. Against the somewhat general idea, that the words are to be taken in an explicative sense, “and Obed-edom indeed,” etc., the objection suggests itself, that Obed-edom is here defined to be the son of Jeduthun, and would seem to be thereby distinguished from the preceding Obed-edom. In addition to that, in 15:21 and Obed-edom is mentioned among the singers, and in v. 24 one of the doorkeepers bears that name, and they are clearly distinguished as being different persons (see p. 509). On the other hand, however, the identity of the two Obed-edoms in our verse is supported by the fact that in 1 Chron. 26:4–8 the doorkeepers Obed-edom with his sons and brethren number sixty-two, which comes pretty nearly up to the number mentioned in our verse, viz., sixty-eight. Yet we cannot regard this circumstance as sufficient to identify the two, and must leave the question undecided, because the text of our verse is defective. Jeduthun the father of Obed-edom is different from the chief musician Jeduthun (= Ethan); for the chief musician is a descendant of Merari, while the doorkeeper Jeduthun belongs to the Korahites (i.e., Kohathites): see on 26:4.

The account of the bringing up of the ark now reaches its climax with its coming to rest in the tent which David has pitched for it. The atmosphere continues to be one of celebration. David presides over the whole affair, evidently directing, or temporarily taking over, the priestly duty of “blessing the people” (v. 2; cf. Deut. 10:8). The distribution of various foods is no mere royal bounty, but has a symbolic character, re-affirming to the people God’s good intention to let them enjoy the good things of the promised land.

The bulk of the chapter consists of the great Psalm of praise which is sung by Asaph and his brethren. Chr. not only tells us that David organized the music, but it gives us an example of it. The writer almost certainly does not mean that the people used only these words in the course of what must have been a major celebration. Nor does the Psalm merely exemplify the art of David’s musicians, or the temple liturgy. Rather the Chronicler makes the point that he is recording one of the major events with which his whole work is concerned. (Notice how great events in Israel’s history are typically marked by celebration with music, cf. Exod. 15; Neh. 12.)

All the elements of the psalm are drawn from the Psalter. (Verses 8–22 = Ps. 105:1–15; vv. 23–33 = Ps. 96:1–13; v. 34 = Ps. 106:1; vv. 35f. = Ps. 106:47f. For that reason no attempt is made here to give a full exposition. The reader is referred to the volumes in this series on the Psalms.) In examining the Psalm we must ask why this particular material is presented to us from so much that might have been used on the occasion in question.

BLESSED BE THE LORD—II

1 Chronicles 16:1–43 (cont’d)

Notice first how the Psalm gives expression to themes which we have already seen to characterize Chr. in general.

(a) Verses 8–18 focus the attention on God’s deeds, and exhort the hearers to remember them (v. 12). The Chronicler’s whole history is designed precisely to set before the restoration community the great things which God has done in Israel heretofore. The exhortation to “seek the Lord”, v. 11, is generally significant in Chr., and in this context makes the necessary qualification that the enjoyment of God’s favour depends upon devotion to him.

Verses 15–18 go on to specify God’s deeds in terms of covenant, and the promise of land made to the patriarchs long ago. The focus on the land as the substance of the promise (v. 18), and the description of the Covenant as “everlasting” (v. 17), will have had special significance for the small and sometimes beleaguered restoration community. The invocation of the patriarchal name and promises in this poetic and rhetorical style is an effective complement to Chr.’s normal historiography, and participation in the singing of words like these must have helped the people of the restoration really to experience the things they knew in their minds to be true.

(b) Verses 19–22 centre on Israel’s small numbers. This theme is central to the OT’s theology of election (cf. Deut. 7:6ff., as well as Ps. 105). We have seen the Chronicler reflect upon it particularly in the genealogies. And once again it has particular reverberations for the community of his own day, so obviously vulnerable, and dependent on the goodwill of its neighbours. This community, he urges, is still the people of God, and enjoys his protection.

(c) Verses 23–36. The election of Israel has as its implication God’s reign over all the nations. The point is made in different ways. First, there is a contrast between the Lord and the gods of other nations, in line with the numerous OT passages which insist that Israel’s God alone has real life and power (cf. Isa. 40:18ff.). The point recalls how Saul’s disobedience (1 Chr. 10) sold Israel into the power of other gods (as would that of, for example, Ahaz, 2 Chr. 28:23). There is thus a powerful assurance, at this crucial moment, that ultimately the true power of God must prevail over the shadow of it possessed by other gods. Secondly, there is an appeal to the nations to honour Israel’s God, an appeal which is given substance by Chr.’s record elsewhere of how the nations give recognition to him (cf. Hiram, 2 Chr. 2:12; the Queen of Sheba, 2 Chr. 9:8; Cyrus, 2 Chr. 36:23).

We have noticed on a number of occasions that the choice of Psalm-material would have spoken strongly to the community of the Chronicler’s day. But he has in addition actually made changes to the Psalm-texts which he used. Verse 13, for example, should read “O offspring of Israel” rather than “of Abraham”, RSV having misguidedly preserved that text as it is in the Book of Psalms (105:6), thus missing the Chronicler’s point, namely that the community of his day is true Israel. RSV has similarly suppressed his alteration of “He is mindful” (v. 15; 105:8) to “Be mindful!” The note of exhortation is consistent with Chr.’s ubiquitous warning that God’s people at any time only enjoy his benefits as long as they truly seek him. (For these and other changes to the Psalms’ texts see the larger Commentaries.) Finally, vv. 35f. are readily comprehensible as the prayer of a people restored from exile, and sensing that their position among the nations is precarious.

How much the record of this act of praise became part of the Chronicler’s work as he wrote is reflected in v. 41, where, though he has returned to prose, he cannot help introducing again the refrain from the Psalm “for his steadfast love endures for ever” when he names the Lord. Thus the praise of one generation inspires another, and modern Christians can appropriate it in the same way. Many must identify with the sense of fewness and vulnerability felt by the restoration community. Chr. directs us to ponder again on the great things God has done. For Christians such pondering will begin at the cross, continue with the times in their own experience when they have known God’s mercies in a special way, and culminate in the final victory of Christ, when every knee shall bow in adoration of him.

16:7–11 This strongly implies that David himself composed the psalm. David’s musical abilities were well attested (2 Sam. 22:1; see the superscriptions of Pss. 3—9). This psalm consists of three different parts. Each portion correlates with part of another psalm, as follows: 16:8–22 with Ps. 105:1–15; 16:23–33 with Ps. 96:1–13; and 16:34–36 with Ps. 106:1, 47, 48.

16:12 His marvelous works: David appealed to the nation to reflect upon God’s faithfulness as manifested in the nation’s history. The God who had proved Himself in the past was the One upon whom the unified nation could depend in the years to come.

16:13, 14 servant … chosen ones: These words reflect the role of Israel as an elect nation called by God to serve Him as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). David was very much aware of the importance of God’s calling of Israel and of his responsibility as leader of this privileged nation.

16:15 The instrument that bound God and Israel together legally and formally was the covenant. This was an arrangement between two parties—in this case, a superior party and an inferior party—by which the two made solemn pledges of mutual loyalty and commitment. God’s promises in the covenant were based on His faithful character.

16:16–18 To Abraham, God promised land (Gen. 12:7) and innumerable descendants (Gen. 15:5; 17:5–8). God designated Abraham’s descendants as the people through whom He would bless all nations (Gen. 12:2, 3). In his psalm, David was reflecting on the reliability of God’s promise to Abraham—a promise renewed to Isaac and confirmed to Jacob. Having just become king over all Israel, David was very much aware of God’s faithfulness in granting the Israelites the land over which he had dominion.

16:19 very few: This refers to the time of the patriarchs. When Jacob went to Egypt, his extended family amounted to only seventy persons (Gen. 46:27).

16:20, 21 one nation to another: In patriarchal times, God’s people moved about in Canaan and occasionally dwelt among other peoples such as the Egyptians (Gen. 12:10), Philistines (Gen. 20:1; 21:34; 26:1), and even the Hittites (Gen. 23:4, 17–20). reproved kings: This is a reference to God’s judgment on Pharaoh (Gen. 12:17) and particularly his rebuke of Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar (Gen. 20:3–7).

16:22–24 Abraham and the patriarchs were not literally anointed with oil as though they were entering the priesthood or kingship. In this context, anointed ones means those set apart for God’s service. prophets: Though the office of prophet as a “professional” calling began with Samuel, there were individuals from the earliest days of biblical history who were known as prophets. The reference here is specifically to Abraham, who is called a prophet in Gen. 20:7, the first occurrence of the word in the Bible.

God Above All Gods

Some people object to Christianity’s claim that its God is the one true God. But the Bible states emphatically that the Lord is above all other gods, which are idols (1 Chr. 16:23–27). He alone deserves worship, for He is the Creator and Sustainer of life.

Most ancient cultures worshiped many gods, almost all of which were associated with nature. For example, the gods of the Canaanites were part of what was essentially a fertility cult designed to increase their harvests and the birth rate of their women. The Hebrews were virtually unique in their belief in one supreme God.

Today, too, people worship and serve a variety of gods, as well as a variety of often conflicting ideas about God. Meanwhile, the belief that there is one supreme God seems to be less and less popular, especially in an age that holds tolerance and religious pluralism to be among the highest of values. Yet God has not changed. He still invites—indeed, commands—all the families of the world to give Him the glory due His name (1 Chr. 16:28–30). Doing so need not be a statement of intolerance, simply a response to what is true.

16:25 above all gods: This does not admit the real possibility of other gods. Instead it refers to the various “gods” in which the pagans believed. The heathen might fear nonexistent gods, but the living Lord was to be feared more than them all, for He is alive and demands accountability.

16:26–30 idols: The poet here puts things into proper perspective and shows how foolish it is to fear gods who are manufactured products of human creativity.

16:31, 32 The phrase, the Lord reigns, is an appeal for the universal recognition of the sovereignty of the God of Israel. The Lord had called Israel into a special covenant relationship with Himself, but He did not thereby reject the other nations. Indeed, the whole purpose of Israelelection was that Israel might be the light to the nations that would cause them to turn to the one true God (Is. 42:5–7; 43:8–13).

16:33–36 trees … rejoice: This is a figure of speech called “personification,” in which inanimate things are spoken of as if they had human characteristics. Because the whole creation was negatively affected by the fall of humanity into sin, it could not be restored to perfection and could not truly rejoice until humanity was redeemed. He is coming: This consummation of the ages will make all creation burst out in praise.

16:37 David appointed Asaph to be overall supervisor of worship before the Lord (v. 5).

16:38 Obed-Edom: There are two men by this name in this verse. The first is the Obed-Edom whose house sheltered the ark for three months (13:14) and who was a chief doorkeeper (15:24). The second, also a gatekeeper, was a son of Jeduthun (perhaps the one known as Ethan; 6:33, 39, 44).[1]

16:7–11 This strongly implies that David himself composed the psalm. David’s musical abilities were well attested (2 Sam. 22:1; see the superscriptions of Pss. 3—9). This psalm consists of three different parts. Each portion correlates with part of another psalm, as follows: 16:8–22 with Ps. 105:1–15; 16:23–33 with Ps. 96:1–13; and 16:34–36 with Ps. 106:1, 47, 48.

16:12 His marvelous works: David appealed to the nation to reflect upon God’s faithfulness as manifested in the nation’s history. The God who had proved Himself in the past was the One upon whom the unified nation could depend in the years to come.

16:13, 14 servant … chosen ones: These words reflect the role of Israel as an elect nation called by God to serve Him as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). David was very much aware of the importance of God’s calling of Israel and of his responsibility as leader of this privileged nation.

16:15 The instrument that bound God and Israel together legally and formally was the covenant. This was an arrangement between two parties—in this case, a superior party and an inferior party—by which the two made solemn pledges of mutual loyalty and commitment. God’s promises in the covenant were based on His faithful character.

16:16–18 To Abraham, God promised land (Gen. 12:7) and innumerable descendants (Gen. 15:5; 17:5–8). God designated Abraham’s descendants as the people through whom He would bless all nations (Gen. 12:2, 3). In his psalm, David was reflecting on the reliability of God’s promise to Abraham—a promise renewed to Isaac and confirmed to Jacob. Having just become king over all Israel, David was very much aware of God’s faithfulness in granting the Israelites the land over which he had dominion.

16:19 very few: This refers to the time of the patriarchs. When Jacob went to Egypt, his extended family amounted to only seventy persons (Gen. 46:27).

16:20, 21 one nation to another: In patriarchal times, God’s people moved about in Canaan and occasionally dwelt among other peoples such as the Egyptians (Gen. 12:10), Philistines (Gen. 20:1; 21:34; 26:1), and even the Hittites (Gen. 23:4, 17–20). reproved kings: This is a reference to God’s judgment on Pharaoh (Gen. 12:17) and particularly his rebuke of Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar (Gen. 20:3–7).

16:22–24 Abraham and the patriarchs were not literally anointed with oil as though they were entering the priesthood or kingship. In this context, anointed ones means those set apart for God’s service. prophets: Though the office of prophet as a “professional” calling began with Samuel, there were individuals from the earliest days of biblical history who were known as prophets. The reference here is specifically to Abraham, who is called a prophet in Gen. 20:7, the first occurrence of the word in the Bible.

16:25 above all gods: This does not admit the real possibility of other gods. Instead it refers to the various “gods” in which the pagans believed. The heathen might fear nonexistent gods, but the living Lord was to be feared more than them all, for He is alive and demands accountability.

16:26–30 idols: The poet here puts things into proper perspective and shows how foolish it is to fear gods who are manufactured products of human creativity.

16:31, 32 The phrase, the Lord reigns, is an appeal for the universal recognition of the sovereignty of the God of Israel. The Lord had called Israel into a special covenant relationship with Himself, but He did not thereby reject the other nations. Indeed, the whole purpose of Israelelection was that Israel might be the light to the nations that would cause them to turn to the one true God (Is. 42:5–7; 43:8–13).

16:33–36 trees … rejoice: This is a figure of speech called “personification,” in which inanimate things are spoken of as if they had human characteristics. Because the whole creation was negatively affected by the fall of humanity into sin, it could not be restored to perfection and could not truly rejoice until humanity was redeemed. He is coming: This consummation of the ages will make all creation burst out in praise.

16:37 David appointed Asaph to be overall supervisor of worship before the Lord (v. 5).

16:38 Obed-Edom: There are two men by this name in this verse. The first is the Obed-Edom whose house sheltered the ark for three months (13:14) and who was a chief doorkeeper (15:24). The second, also a gatekeeper, was a son of Jeduthun (perhaps the one known as Ethan; 6:33, 39, 44).

[2]

16:4–36 David’s psalm of thanksgiving. The psalm which Asaph’s group is to use in worship is especially apt, because it is to be sung before the ark of God’s covenant, to the Lord (4) (which is God’s covenant name), the ark having now been brought into the centre of Israel’s life. That is the setting (4–6, 37) and the theme of the psalm. It combines parts of Pss. 96, 105 and 106. The first part (Ps. 105:1–15) sets forth what it means to praise the Lord (8–13), and why, namely because of his covenant (14–18). It is a covenant of grace—i.e. in his undeserved love he has chosen and rescued his people when they could do nothing for themselves (19–22). The second part (Ps. 96) praises him as God over all the nations, and therefore over their gods (cf. 10:10; 14:12), and indeed over the whole earth (23–33). The final verses (Ps. 106:1, 47–48) call God’s people as a whole to join the Levites’ praise (34–36): they are a cry to God the Saviour, and the word for ‘Save us’ is ‘Hosanna’—to be taken up, significantly, by the crowds surrounding the last King of David’s line as he rides in triumph to the temple (Mk. 11:9–10).

16:37–43 Ark and altar. Only Asaph’s group stays at Jerusalem, while those of Heman and Jeduthun (probably another name for Ethan, 6:44) are sent to Gibeon.

17:1–27 A house for the ark? By and large, this chapter reproduces the earlier account. But the changes to 2 Sa. 7:11 and 14 are significant. Here, v 10 has subdue instead of ‘give rest from’, because, for the Chronicler, rest is characteristic of Solomon’s reign rather than of David’s, and because after the turmoils of David’s time it will be Solomon’s privilege to build the temple. In the same way, v 13 omits the possibility of Solomon’s going wrong (though he would do so). In the Chronicler’s view Solomon and David are to be seen as joint founders of the kingdom, the ideal figures of the golden age.

It is clear that David intends to build a house for the ark, and equally clear from the reply of Nathan, who is a man of God, that there is nothing wrong with such a desire in itself. But God’s reply will teach David’s ‘faint desires to rise’, and to stretch them by new understanding. A permanent house for the ark is something God has never asked for (4–6); indeed he designed the ark to be portable (Ex. 25:14). What God does for David takes precedence over anything David can do for God (7–10); note the repeated ‘I’ in these verses. And in the days of David and Solomon he will set up a house and a kingdom (11–14) which, though theirs, will also be his, and therefore eternal, and therefore something greater than a political kingdom destined to perish four centuries later (another pointer, like 16:34–36, to the NT kingdom of Christ). The chapter thus develops from the ‘ark’ theme (1) into both the ‘temple’ and ‘throne’ themes (12).

David, going in before the Lord (16; presumably before the ark), responds with a model prayer. First (16–22) he praises the God whose plan of blessing for his people embraces both the past (especially the making of Israel at the time of the exodus) and the future. Then he asks (23–27) that God will do what he has said he will do (12), the true prayer of faith which rests on firm ground and is therefore assured of an answer.[3]

In verses 8–36 the Chronicler gives three samples of praise in an anthology derived from the Book of Psalms, Psalms 105:1–15; 96:1–13, and 106:1, 47, 48. He adduces them as appropriate expressions of praise at this juncture in Israel’s history. In so doing, he has to adapt his material slightly, removing the references to the temple as an existing institution in verses 27 and 29 (compare Ps. 96:6, 8). The chief merit of these particular extracts for the Chronicler is that they served to reflect, as in a mirror, his dominant concerns in this overall section and bridged the gap between ancient history and contemporary worship in the Chronicler’s day. Verses 23–33, derived from Psalm 96, function as the main part of the anthology. This center is bordered by material from Psalm 105 and from Psalm 106 by way of an introduction and a conclusion. The whole anthology is resonant with themes to which the New Testament is no stranger.

1. A vision of greatness. In verse 23 to “proclaim the good news of” God’s “salvation”—a remarkably Christian-sounding phrase—is a mark of the new age established by David. It replaces the defeat of the way of exile, which encouraged the impression that other gods had triumphed: see 10:9 where “proclaim the news” renders the same Hebrew verb. “The nations” and “all peoples” in verses 24 and 31 have figured in 14:17 as awed witnesses of David’s God-given victories, which pointed forward to God’s future kingdom. The Lord’s greatness (v. 25a) has already been the implicit theme of 11:9 and 12:22, underlying David’s greatness. The impotence of the “gods” has been demonstrated in 14:12. The sacred “place” of verse 27 relates to the place provided by David for the ark. The kingship of God (v. 31) had already been manifested through David’s reign and indeed was part of the theology of the ark (13:6, rsv). Israel’s hope was that it would one day be manifested afresh in a world kingdom.

Psalm 96 reflects the theology of post-exilic Judah in giving God a universal role and in confidently hoping that this role, grounded in His work as Creator, would be vindicated in a future intervention, when He would claim the world as His own and set it aright. In the Chronicler’s thought there had already been a significant manifestation of God in the period of David. To the post-exilic community, living in a “day of small things” (Zech. 4:10), he offered the greatness of the past associated with David and Solomon as an encouraging image of future greatness under God.

2. A veiled hope. This message is reinforced in the introductory verses 8–22. “Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!” (v. 10) is an apt commentary on the preceding chapters. Seeking God had been David’s overall concern and had borne fruit in the successful transportation of the ark to Jerusalem, while the accompanying and consequent expressions of joy were a fitting response of worship. For the Chronicler to seek God was a perpetual mandate, as verse 11 seems to say. The community of faith in the Chronicler’s time, as in David’s, was still the “seed of Israel” and God’s “chosen ones” (v. 13). “Abraham” in the original Psalm 105:6 is significantly changed to “Israel,” in whom patriarchal history comes to a head, as we noticed in 2:2. We are the chosen people, affirms the Chronicler not in any spirit of wrongful pride but to convey a necessary sense of continuity and destiny. When pride is the opposite of humility, it is bad; when it is the opposite of shame, it is good. At a time when so much in the environment of post-exilic Judah shouted “No!” at Judah’s claims, faith dared to shout “Yes!” The “covenant” dominates verses 15–18, appropriately enough, for was not the ark “the ark of the covenant” (v. 6)? These verses serve as a commentary on the concept of the covenant, stressing its everlasting nature and so its relevance to the Chronicler’s age. The picture painted in verses 19–22 of the patriarchs as bearers of the noble promise of the land, yet “few in number,” insignificant, and “strangers” in their own land, is also an eloquent description of the Jewish community after the Exile. Yet they could derive comfort from the truth that like the patriarchs they stood under the protection of God (vv. 21, 22). Promise, privation, protection: such was the checkered pattern of light and shade that dappled the Jewish community in its faith and fortunes.

3. Invocation of God’s grace. The closing verses 34–36 quoted from Psalm 106 accentuate the contrasts of the introduction. On the one hand, God’s people are the recipients of His goodness and “steadfast love” (rsv), not only yesterday and today but “forever.” On the other hand, they pray to God for deliverance from “the nations.” Their inferior status is not one befitting the people of the universal God. God’s “salvation,” experienced in the past, is invoked afresh.

The Chronicler is recalling his contemporaries to their great traditions. He helps this small and struggling community to appropriate these truths as their own, to live in the good of them, and to make them the basis of a sure hope in a God who is preserving them for a purpose. God is the focus of praise stretching from the remote past to the remote future (v. 36). This God is the God of Israel, and His praises match His dealings with them since the days of Abraham, Jacob, and David, until now and on into the unseen future!

What shall we say to these things? Here is theology set to music. In the midst of praise divine truths are taking firmer root in the hearts of God’s people. Theology functions as encouragement, giving new strength to the weary and fresh hope to the disheartened. Hold on, runs the message: “the Lord is great” and “the Lord. … is coming” (vv. 25, 33). I cannot help thinking of the pastoral theology of Romans 5:1–11 and 8:18–39. The church is represented as externally weak, suffering, and persecuted. The church is also a community marked by joy, not because its members are blind to the facts but because they look beyond bare facts to see God at work, preparing for them a glorious destiny. They feel the rain, but see the rainbow. God’s electing love lies around them, embracing them in its strong grip. It is as strong as death and many waters cannot quench it, nor can the floods drown it. That love brings an assurance of victory, even now enjoyed in spirit. Come wind, come weather, they are to remain valiant in the faith, conscious of God’s preserving grace. Soon the tide will turn, and then Christians will be revealed in their true colors as sons and daughters of God. This hope is a vital ingredient of their initial salvation and means that future salvation will be theirs. The work of God through the Lord Jesus is the guarantee of their own destiny.

There is a remarkable affinity between the message of Chronicles and what Paul is saying. Both inspired authors have reached into the heart of biblical faith and hope. For both their roots lie in the past, but the focus of their life is in the future. The aims of both will be realized if their pastoral theology evokes from their present readers an “Amen” and a hallelujah (v. 36). J. S. Whale once wrote of the danger of reducing theology to an intellectual exercise: “Instead of putting off our shoes from our feet because the place whereon we stand is holy ground, we are taking nice photographs of the burning bush from suitable angles. We are chatting about theories of the atonement with our feet on the mantelpiece, instead of kneeling down before the wounds of Christ.” In Chronicles and Romans such theology is conspicuous by its absence.

[4]

Vers. 8–36.—These verses, then, provide the form of praise which David wished to be used on this, and probably in grateful repetition on some succeeding occasions. David makes selections from four psalms already known; for it cannot be supposed that the verses we have here were the original, and that they were afterwards supplemented. The first fifteen verses (viz. 8–22) are from Ps. 105:1–15. The next eleven verses (23–33) are from Ps. 96:1–13; but a small portion of the first and last of these verses is omitted. Our thirty-fourth verse is identical with Ps. 107:1; 118:1; 136:1; and forms the larger part of Ps. 106:1. It is, in fact, a doxology. And our thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth verses consist of a short responsive (“and say ye”) invocation, followed by another doxology. These are taken from Ps. 106:47, 48. Hereupon “all the people” are directed to find the final outburst of praise to Jehovah, and “Amen.” In the first of these selections (vers. 8–23) there is no material variation from the language of the psalm itself. Yet the original psalm has Abraham, where our own thirteenth verse reads Israel. And the original psalm uses the third person, where our fifteenth and nineteenth verses have the second person. In the second selection it is worthy of note that our ver. 29, “Come before him,” probably preserves the ante-temple reading, while Ps. 96:8 was afterwards, to fit temple times, altered into, “Come into his courts.” The arrangement of all the succeeding clauses does not exactly agree with the arrangement of them found in the psalm, as for instance in the latter half of our ver. 30 and in ver. 31, compared with the clauses of vers. 10, 11 of the psalm. Again, one clause of the tenth verse of the psalm, “He shall judge the people righteously,” is not found in either alternative position open to it through the inversion of clauses, in our vers. 30, 31. The rhythm and metre of the psalm are, however, equally unexceptionable. The whole of the twenty-nine verses of this psalm of praise (vers. 8–36 inclusive) are divided into portions of three verses each, except the portion vers. 23–27 inclusive, which consists of five verses. As regards the matter of it, it may be remarked on as breaking into two parts, in the first of which (vers. 8–22) the people are reminded of their past history and of the marvellous providence which had governed their career from Abraham to the time they were settled in Canaan, but in the second (vers. 23–36) their thought is enlarged, their sympathies immensely widened, so as to include all the world, and their view is borne on to the momentous reality of judgment.

Vers. 8–10.—These verses are an animated invocation to thanks and praise.

Vers. 11–14.—The call to thanksgiving and to the praise of adoration is now in these verses succeeded by an earnest admonition to practical seeking of the Lord, and mindful obedience to him.

Vers. 14–22.—These verses rehearse the ancient and blissful covenant which had made Israel so to differ. These are called mine anointed … my prophets, in harmony with what we read in the splendid passage, Exod. 19:3–6. The substitution in our vers. 15, 19 of the second person pronoun plural, in place of the third person of the psalm, helps speak the reality of this occasion and its dramatic correctness. The literal original of our Authorized Version in ver. 19, but few, even a few, is, men of number, i.e. men who could easily be numbered.

Vers. 23–36.—The grandeur and unusual comprehensiveness of the adoration and homage here proclaimed, as to be offered to the omnipotent Ruler of all nations, should be well pondered. Our eye and ear may have become too familiar with it, but when put a little into relief, and referred to its original time of day, it is fit to be ranked among the strongest moral evidences of inspiration in the word and the speaker.

Ver. 23.—This verse is composed of the latter half of each of the first two verses of the psalm (96).

Vers. 34–36.—These verses, from the first, forty-seventh, and forty-eighth of Ps. 106, must have suggested the sad intermediate contents of that psalm, the significant key-note of which is sounded in our thirty-fifth verse. The suggestion in the midst of the unbounded gladness of this day is affecting, and must have been intended for salutary lesson and timely warning. In the midst of the fulness of praise and joy, the people are led to prayer—say ye—and the prayer is an humble petition for salvation, union, and protection from every enemy. God’s treatment of his anointed people had been on his part one continued protection and one prolonged salvation. Yet they had often neither prayed for these nor acknowledged them. Now they are led again by the hand, as it were, to the footstool of the throne.

Vers. 37–43.—These verses give the now new-ordained distribution of priests and Levites, to minister and to attend to the service of praise before the ark. And the first of them may be considered to mark an important step in advance in the crystallizing of the world’s ecclesiastical institutions. Asaph and his brethren of song are left there before the ark of the covenant … to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required. A permanent local ministry and choir are thus established, with a fixity of place on Zion, and regularity of time that had been hitherto unattainable.

Ver. 38.—Obed-edom with their brethren. Explanation is needed of the plural pronoun “their.” Either another name is wanted with Obed-edom, or tacit reference is made to “Asaph and his brethren,” as though the name Asaph had not been followed in its own place by the clause “and his brethren.” Keil draws attention to the “three score and two” of ch. 26:8, in connection with the three score and eight of this place; and it has been proposed to make up this number by some of the sons of Hosah, of our following verse and of ch. 26:11. In this case the name Hosah might be the name missing before, “and their brethren.” Conjecture, however, has not sufficient clue here to warrant it, and the textual state of this verse must be debited with the obscurity. The ambiguity respecting the name Obed-edom has already (ch. 13:14) been alluded to. Neglecting this ambiguity, it may be repeated that Obed-edom, … son of Jedithun (as the Keri of this passage is) was a Merarite Levite, while Obed-edom son of Jeduthun (ch. 15:25) was of Gath-rimmon, a Gittite (2 Sam. 6:10–12; Josh. 21:24), a Kohathite (ch. 6:66, 69), and a Korhite (ch. 26:1–5).

Ver. 39.—While those above-mentioned were to officiate before the ark on Zion, those mentioned in this and following verses are the officiating staff at Gibeon. It is now brought into prominence that the ark and the tabernacle are in two separate places. The great ordinary sacrifices and services, “all that is written in the Law of the Lord,” are carefully observed on the original altar (Exod. 38:2) in the tabernacle. Other and special sacrifices evidently were offered in the presence of the ark. The tabernacle erected in the wilderness was first stationed at Shiloh (Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 4:3, 4). The occasion of its removal to Nob (1 Sam. 21:1; 22:19) is not narrated. The present passage first tells us where it had been since the slaughter of the priests at Saul’s command by Doeg the Edomite. Some distinct statement, like that of ch. 21:29 and 2 Chron. 1:3, might have been expected here. Zadok the priest is given (ch. 6:4–9) as in the line of Eleazar.[5]

     7. David delivered first this psalm. The following model song that David provided them consists, with slight modifications, of Ps 105:1-15; Ps 96; and Ps 106:1, 47, 48. All three psalms are listed anonymously in the Psalter, but on the basis of David’s use of them here, it would appear that he is indeed their author. Into the hand of Asaph. Thus many of David’s psalms include in their titles, “To the chief musician.”

     12. Remember his marvellous works. Psalm 105, is one of the Psalter’s great historical surveys of God’s faithfulness. 15. Be ye mindful ... of his covenant, or testament (Heb., bƒrı̂t). This was God’s legal instrument of redemption, by which he granted men reconciliation with himself, on condition of their exercising sincere faith in his promise (Gen 15:6). First revealed in Eden to fallen Adam (Gen 3:15), it was confirmed to Abraham and his chosen seed (Gen 17:7, 8; Ex 19:5, 6; Gal 3:29). Its ultimate effectuation was contingent upon the death of Jesus Christ, the divine testator (Heb 9:15-17), a fact symbolized under the anticipatory older testament by the shedding of sacrificial blood (Ex 24:6-8; Heb 9:18-22).

     20. They went from nation to nation, having been promised Palestine, but not yet having received it (Heb 11:9). 22. Mine anointed. Set apart by My Spirit (cf. I Sam 16:13). My prophets. Abraham was a recipient, though not a regular proclaimer, of God’s revelations. He was thus designated a prophet at the time of God’s protecting him against Abimelech, king of Gerar (Gen 20:7). Other patriarchs, however, did make specific prophecies (e.g., Jacob Gen 48:19). Psalm 105:16-45 then continues Israel’s history through the greater vindication of the Exodus; but at this point David shifted to the second of his compositions, Psalm 96.

     29. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. More accurately, in holy array (ASV). Come before him. This is particularly appropriate because the divine presence rested over the ark (Num 7:89). 33. He cometh to judge the earth. An expression of Israel’s developing hope in the glorious (second) coming of Jesus the Messiah (cf. Gen 49:10; Num 24:17; I Sam 2:10; Ps 2). 35. Deliver us from the heathen. An applicable prayer in light of the Philistine oppression just passed (cf. 13:2, note).

     36. This verse is based on the conclusion of Psalm 106, which is also the closing doxology of Book IV of the Psalter (Ps 90–106). Thus it appears that David composed Psalm 106 with the purpose of concluding this collection of psalms (cf. v. 13 in his Ps 41, which closes the Davidic Book I of the Psalter). The people said, Amen, meaning, firm, steady. Amen may thus be rendered, “True indeed!” And praised the Lord. “Praise the Lord” is in Hebrew, Halleluya.

     37. The ark of the covenant. For the ark of God’s presence was the symbol of his redemptive testament, with its promise, “I am the Lord your God” (v. 14; cf. v. 15 note; Gen 17:7, 8). 38. Jeduthun. The Hebrew text reads Jeduthun, who is not to be confused with Jeduthun, the chief singer of the clan of Merari. Obed-edom’s family was of Kohath (26:1, 4). To be porters. Obededom was thus confirmed in his double position (see 15:21, note).

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Important words

 Abraham  among  Ascribe  covenant  deeds  earth  everlasting  few  give  glad  glory  good  heavens  His  holy  is  Jacob  joy  judgments  let  Lord  nation  O  people  praise  Remember  salvation  say  seek  sing  strength  thanks  us  wonders

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[1]Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen and H. Wayne House, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999). 1 Ch 16:7-38.

[2]Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen and H. Wayne House, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999). 1 Ch 16:7-38.

[3]D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition, 4th ed. (Leicester, England;  Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994). 1 Ch 16:4-17:1.

[4]Leslie Allen and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 10 : 1, 2 Chronicles, The Preacher's Commentary series (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1987). 104.

[5]The Pulpit Commentary: 1 Chronicles, ed. H. D. M. Spence-Jones (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004). 247.

[6]Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary : Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962). 1 Ch 16:7.